Collision
by Alina Cordelia
Summary: AU: Just after AtS S3 Couplet. Events related to the Tro-Clon begin to unfold. A confrontation with a certain Slayer forces Cordy and Angel to confront their feelings for each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: AU: AtS season 3, just after Couplet, but it's been a few weeks since the arrival of the Groosalugg, Cordy and Groo are together but didn't go away on vacation, and there is considerable creative license in the way the events in Loyalty and Sleep Tight have been portrayed. Spoilers for Angel up to Season 3 and BtVS season 6.**

**Genre: Angel/Cordelia, Fred/Gunn**

**Plot summary: Groo is slowly realizing that Cordy doesn't have room in her life for both him and Angel, and contemplates a tough decision. The gang is investigating where Angel's newfound blood lust is coming from and why he acting a bit too much like his former self. Wes is being secretive about the Nyazian prophecies, and Buffy chooses this moment to come to town to confront Angel about sleeping with Darla and having a son.**

**Disclaimer: Joss is boss, I'm playing with his characters but we all know they're not mine.**

**Chapter One**

Krevlorneswath of the Death Wok Clan, or Lorne, for short, stepped gingerly into the darkened lobby of the Hyperion Hotel through the back entrance that led in from the garden. It was 2 am, and he had only just returned from a karaoke/ destiny party at the ranch home of some of his hippie demon friends in Topanga Canyon, and he was wiped. All the green empath demon was thinking about was mixing himself a nice, tall Sea Breeze and retreating under the warm covers of his bed, when he looked up and was momentarily transfixed by the scene in front of him.

Cordelia Chase, the tall brunette goddess of a Seer, was standing near the giant gray poof chair that graced the lobby, gazing lovingly at baby Connor, as she rocked him in her arms, an empty bottle clasped in her right hand. He was gazing back into her luminous hazel eyes and reached up to yank on a chunk of her hair, which was currently short and light-brown with blond highlights.

"Youch, you little devil, you're gonna have your daddy's super-strength aren't ya?" she whispered teasingly.

Lorne began idly wondering if Cordy would ever consider returning her hair to its original glory, those long deep-chestnut curls that bounced ever so provocatively just above her breasts. But all thoughts of hair and fashion were pushed from his mind when Cordy began humming a lullaby to the little nipper, trying to coax him back to sleep.

"Lullaby and good night, and some words I cannot think of, la la la, la la la, tell the whole world good night…"

Lorne couldn't help but read Cordy's aura; it was filled with such a pure, soft overwhelming love for the child. Lorne leaned his horned head against the door frame and smiled.

Cordy continued, "Oh who am I kidding? You got to go with what you know. You don't mind Madonna, right? You're not old enough to realize that these lyrics are wildly inappropriate … Okay here goes. _I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it through-OOH. Didn't know how lost I was until I found you. I was beat, incomplete, I'd been had, I'd been sad and blue but you made me FEEL, yeah you make me feel, shiny and new. Like a virgin, touched for the very first time …"_

Suddenly the love that was rising up from Cordelia's energy field in big, billowy waves had nothing to do with the baby, and everything to do with his—

"Lorne!"

The demon, jumped, startled out of his reading. "Yes, Princess?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing Lorne, and as far as I'm concerned, reading me without my consent is on the same level of snoopy-ness as poking around in my underwear drawer, not that I'm accusing anyone-"

"It was Gunn."

"I knew it!"

"But he would have never done it if there wasn't a coma involved."

"Yeah, because if I had been conscious, he would have known there would have been consequences in the form of a throw-down, and hey, don't laugh at me, I've got demon-y powers, you know."

"Oh, believe me, I know! My noggin is smarting just thinking about them. But back to the point, Princess, why don't you just tell him?"

"Tell who what?" Cordelia's tone betrayed nothing but what appeared to be innocent confusion.

"I think you know. Tall, dark, and scrumptious, goes by the title of champion… you've gotta let him know how you feel about him."

"Lorne, don't be silly, _Groo_ already knows how amazing I think he is."

"Princess, we both know I wasn't talking about the Groosalugg, as fine a fellow as he is."

Cordelia's eyes darkened and flashed a warning. "Well, _I_ was," she intoned in a low, even voice. "Now can we save this debate for the morning? I really need to get this baby to fall asleep before I do." She collapsed backward onto the poof, stroking the baby's scant blonde hair with a slim finger. Lorne sat down next to her and wisely decided to change the subject.

"So Princess, speaking of the Groosalugg, why exactly is it that you're here at the hotel instead of home with him taking advantage of that mystical prophylactic?"

Cordelia's eyes twinkled mischieviously. "Oh, believe me, advantage has been taken, and re-taken, and well, you get the point. But I'm here because of Angel." At this, Lorne couldn't help but let a knowing glance escape, which was not lost on Cordy. "I'm here because Angel has been acting weird lately," she amended. "He's been acting less like himself and a bit more like Angelus, and until Wes and Fred can figure out why, I said I'd stay to watch Connor, you know, keep him safe."

"Safe from _Angel_?" Lorne was incredulous. "But Angel would never so much as hurt a hair on the little nipper's head."

"I know he wouldn't. But Angelus would; he would chow down on him like a tasty hors d'oevre, and there is definitely something not-right going on." Cordelia's last words trailed off, as she frowned at the wall pensively. "I just hope they figure it out and fast."

"Cordelia, not to rain down more gloom on this broodfest, but how safe are you going to be staying here if Angelus is really coming out to play? Wouldn't he be serving you up as the entree as soon as he'd finished snacking on Connor?"

"Well, theoretically, yeah. But now that you mention it, his weirdness has been pretty Connor-specific. He's been pretty normal with me, well, Angel-normal, but yesterday he really lost it and practically yelled at this little guy for basically just being a baby. At first I thought he just needed a break, you know? The single dad thing was just getting to be too overwhelming. But then Gunn and Wes said that he went all commando on a couple of demon rockers they were fighting and seemed to enjoy the kill way too much. That's when we decided I should stick around and keep an eye on this guy until the gang could figure things out."

"Hmmm, what else has he been doing that's out of character?"

"Well, not too much. He's been a bit on the cranky and guarded side, but that _is_ one of his characters, and he is under a lot of stress what with being a new dad, and dealing with all these crazy vampire cults who are after Connor, not to mention the boys at Wolfram and Hart. The only other thing I can think of is that, well, he has been drinking a lot."

"Nothing wrong with that, in fact, I almost forgot, I was about to make myself a cool, refreshing Sea Breeze. Are you up for a nightcap, Princess? "

"Not _alcohol_, Lorne. Blood."

"Hmm, he's been drinking a lot of blood, and lusting for the kill, and acting evil around Connor…"

"Oh my God, Lorne, that's it! You're a genius! Why didn't we see this earlier? Wes has been so preoccupied with that new prophecy of his, he totally missed it, but that's it!"

"Um, Princess, I think I may still be missing it. What was the genius-y thing that I just discovered?"

"Angel's been drinking Connor's blood! That's why he's been acting like such a nutjob!"

"How's that?"

"Someone must have spiked his supply. Maybe someone from the doctor's office after Connor's last visit when they drew his blood for all those baby check-ups. I've got to go wake up Fred so she can get with the microscope and do that whole science thing she does to see if I'm right! Here, take the baby." Cordy thrust a finally-sleeping Connor into Lorne's arms.

"Cordy, wait, I'm not sure if now is really the best time …" Lorne's warning fell on deaf ears, as Cordy dashed up the stairs at record speed, eyes gleaming. She was about to tap on Fred's door when her hand froze in mid-air, halted by the soft moans and _oh, Charles-_es coming from behind the door. Cordy's eyebrows flew up as she shook her head and stepped back from the door.

"Yikes, I'm not putting my foot in the middle of that one," she thought. "Our little Fred, huh? Not so innocent after all."

Cordelia's descent to the lobby was considerably more measured. She plonked down next to Lorne. "Guess you were right, it'll have to wait 'til morning," she acceded. "What happened here?" she asked, referring to the now-fussing baby squirming in Lorne's green arms. "You were supposed to be sleeping, mister!"

"Yeah well, I guess he missed your singing." Lorne teased, handing Connor back to his Aunt Cordy. Cordy smiled down at the vampire's child and gave him a pinky to chew on, which he seemed to like, judging from his cooing and chortling.

"Well, I would finish the song if it weren't for a certain karaoke lounge lizard who can't keep his empathy to himself." Cordelia said pointedly. Lorne smiled sheepishly.

"My apologies, Princess, but it was involuntary. I read you and Angelcakes the way you guys read highway signs. Big, giant highway signs written in capital letters that glow in the dark." Cordy tilted her head and gave him a scathing look by way of a response. "Well, okay, how about you hold him, and I do the singing?" Lorne suggested, winning him one of Cordelia's trademark million-dollar smiles.

"Okay, good compromise, but I'm warning you, the kid likes Madonna."

"And whose fault it that, I wonder." Lorne quipped. "Well, at least it's not Manilow." Twenty minutes later, Connor was fast asleep in Cordy's arms, and the demon and the seer were glazed over with exhaustion. Unfortunately, every time Cordy rose to take herself and the infant upstairs to bed, a plaintive squawk would erupt from the child's mouth, and two minutes after she'd sit back down, he would return to slumberland. After five attempts, Cordy was ready to acquiesce.

"Okay, Connor, I give up, you win. Lorne, can you just cover me up with a blanket or something? I think we're gonna camp out on the poof for the rest of the night, if you can even call it night anymore." Lorne helped Cordelia get as comfortable as possible on the strange, round sofa that held a central spot in lobby and wrapped her snugly in soft blankets, making sure the baby's face was far enough away from the cloth. Cordy was out as soon as she leaned her head back against the upholstery. Lorne smiled down on the pair as he walked up to his room, sadly _sans _Sea Breeze, and wondered when Cordelia was finally going to buy herself a one-way ticket out of Denialville. Still, he could understand her reluctance to give up her earnest, affectionate Groosalugg in favor of the broody vampire whose soulless alter ego would be unleashed on the world if ever they gave shared a moment of pure happiness, (read orgasm). A vampire, whose soul he knew Cordelia still believed would forever belong to the tiny blonde slayer who had first captured it back in Sunnydale.

After four blissful hours of uninterrupted sleep, Cordelia Chase awoke to find herself still dressed in yesterday's sweats, tank top and hoodie, her body draped awkwardly on the poof in the lobby, blankets slipping to the floor, with the baby, thankfully still sleeping in her arms. Arms that had now gone numb. As she straightened and tried to work the cricks out of her neck, she noticed a slight figure standing in the doorway of the main entrance to the Hyperion. The girl was petite, with long blond hair that had been curled and was held back from her face with a clip. She was dressed in red leather pants and a tight-fitting black tank top. Her face was stony. Cordy rose, letting the blankets fall fully to the floor, and stretched with the one arm not holding Connor, then checked his diaper. Yup, it was wet. She stared at the Slayer, her mind still foggy with sleep.

"Cordelia?" Buffy's greeting sounded more like a question. "God, you look … bad. Since when did you start wearing sweats?"

"Since I stopped thinking it was smart to be paying the dry cleaner a gazillion dollars a week to get spit-up and demon pus out of everything I own," Cordelia retorted. "What are you doing here?"

Buffy ignored the question, and continued to approach Cordy and Connor. "So it's true, then?" she said, finally, eyes locked onto the infant's form. "He really did this, he really slept with Darla."

"Not just Darla." Cordy muttered under her breath, thinking some of Angel's other chippies with a twist in her stomach that felt suspiciously like jealousy. Buffy didn't seem to hear.

"And he was Angel, not Angelus? You're sure about that." Cordelia shot her a look.

"Do you really think we'd be here, standing around having this conversation if he'd been Angelus?"

Buffy shrugged. She knew that was true, but still, it was hard to believe that Angel could have done something so rash; something that he knew could have put his friends' lives jeopardy.

"It just doesn't seem like something he'd do. He's always so … responsible," she said after a long moment.

"Well, he didn't realize that protection would be an issue. Vampire seed, generally not so good for the baby-making, remember?"

"You know that's not what I meant, Cordelia."

"Well, yeah." For a long moment the two women just looked at one another, trying to read each other's intentions. Finally it was Cordelia who spoke. "Look Buffy, don't get me wrong, it's great to see you, and I totally get why this Connor thing is weird for you, but there is a lot going on here, a lot that you don't understand. We have some serious 'world-ending' stuff to deal with and Angel is not in a good way right now. I think I might have figured out how to fix that but I won't be sure until Fred gets her skinny butt down here, which given the way things are going with her and Gunn, may be awhile-"

"Cordelia, you're rambling."

"Right. Anyway, as I was saying, we've got serious work to do, and you being here is just going to tie Angel up in knots and make everything harder, so frankly, you being jealous and showing up to admonish Angel for not keeping it in his pants is just NOT my priority right now." Buffy's expression was hard to read, but Cordy could tell she wasn't appreciating being lectured about priorities by someone she still saw as vain and frivolous. "So why don't I just tell him you stopped by and you can get on out of here and enjoy your Saturday?"

Buffy shrugged off her comments without pause. "Where's Angel?"

Cordy sighed. "Ok, fine, I'll tell him you're here. But when this all ends badly, don't say I didn't warn you."

Buffy shot Cordy a look, "Cordelia!"

"Alright, alright, just hang out down here for a minute and I'll get him."

Connor had started fussing, reminding Cordy of her original intention to go change him and get to work. She silently turned and walked up the steps leading from the lobby to the 2nd floor hallway and entered Angel's suite where Connor's nursery was. Cordy wasn't quite sure why Buffy's presence had thrown her the way that it had. She was feeling strangely protective of Angel, which had become kind of a thing lately. Poor Groo, he was having a hard time understanding why she was so invested in the guy. It certainly wasn't romantic, the way Groo suspected it was. But it was more than just work, more than just friendship. She had been dosed with demon DNA for that man, and that was a bond that defied verbal explanation. With a sigh, Cordy finished getting the baby changed and dressed when she sensed Angel standing behind her. Without turning around, she said "Oh, hey, sorry if we woke you up. The little man needed some clean clothes."

"Don't worry about it. But that's not what woke me up." Angel put a hand on Cordy's shoulder and nudged her so that she turned to face him. "What is going on downstairs?" Cordy looked up at him, apprehension clearly visible in her wide, hazel eyes.

"In a word? Buffy."

"Buffy?" Angel's shock was apparent in his voice. "What do you mean? She- she's here? What is she-"

"She's here to yell at you for being a man-whore and impregnating Darla." Angel's look said it all. "I know, right? She kind missed the bandwagon on the one."

"I'm not sure I can handle seeing Buffy right now."

"Well, I tried to make her go away but she's really stubborn." Cordy noticed the chiding look Angel was giving her. "What?"

"You told her to leave?"

"Well, I was nice about it … sort of. I'm sorry Angel, but I really don't want her getting to you, especially not now when we've got to make sure you don't go all psycho-vamp and eat Connor, not to mention we still need to figure out this Tro-clon dealio." Angel raised one eyebrow and tilted his head to the side slightly, choosing not to react to Cordy's characteristic painfully direct turn of phrase.

"Any progress there? Have you talked to Wes or Fred?"

"Yes! And no. Wes fell asleep in the office, and Fred … well, I was giving her a little time to, uh, recover from last night, but I was actually on my to wake her up because I think I know why you've been not-yourself lately, and I just need her science whiz skills to prove it." Angel brightened at Cordelia's excitement.

"What is it, what do you think is causing this?" he asked.

"Well, let me just get Fred to do this one thing and then I'll explain, but in the meantime, just do me a favor, and lay off the O-pos until we talk to you."

"But Cor, it's getting late, I'm kinda hungry."

"I know, and don't. Give me the old stuff you've got in your fridge and go out and get something fresh from the butcher, okay? Please, just trust me."

"Okay," he shrugged, pulling on a charcoal-gray sweater over the white wifebeater he had on when had gotten out of bed to talk to Cordy. "I guess I'd better go down there and talk to Buffy."

"Yeah, good luck with that. But, I gotta warn you, she's pretty pissed. Oh, and Angel-"

"What is it, Cordy?"

"She's wearing leather."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

After watching Angel descend to play his part in the latest installment of the Angel-Buffy angst fest, Cordy scooped up Connor, opened Angel's fridge to collect his current blood supply, and marched over to Fred's room. She knocked loudly and called to Fred through the closed door. There was no way she was going to take the chance of walking in there before Fred and Gunn had a chance to, um, compose themselves. Cordy could hear Fred scampering around, and the sound of dresser drawers hastily open and closing. "Fred, it's just me, Cordy, don't spaz out."

"Oh, okay Cordy, so sorry for the delay, I'll be right there. I thought it was about time to get back to work, but the strange thing about time is that it moves differently depending on whether or not you're paying attention to it, and I had other things that were occupying my attention…" Cordelia could practically feel Fred blushing as she babbled.

"Fred, sweetie, calm down. I just need to talk to you about Angel. And I know Gunn's in there, so just relax."

"You do?" Gunn's deep voice rose up from behind the door.

"I do. Cordelia here, I know everything. And I think it's fantastic, so don't get your panties in a bunch. If you're even wearing any," said Cordy, letting a laugh escape. She just couldn't help herself, after all, they were family.

"Cordelia," Gunn's voice was stern. "Big, bad-ass, black man in here. I do not wear panties."

"Like I said, you may not be. But I really don't want see that, so just let Fred out, I need her gi-normous brain." Cordy heard muffled laughter and squeals from behind the door, and then Fred popped out, fully dressed in jeans and a snug green knit tee, blushing and smiling. Her long brown hair was a little on the tousled side, but Cordy really couldn't say anything about that, given her current unwashed status.

"God, I really need to take a shower," she said aloud to herself.

"What was that?" Fred inquired.

"Nothing sweetie, it's just that I'm dirty." Fred turned a deeper shade of red. "God, Fred, you are so bad. Not like _that_, it's just I was practically up all night with Connor and I still haven't showered, so I feel yicky. You, on the other hand, Ms. Vixen-" Fred swatted at Cordy's arm with a look of outrage on her face.

"Hey, no hitting!" Cordy retaliated by poking Fred in the ribs, sending the willowy girl into a fit of laughter.

Cordy and Fred were talking in hushed whispers as they walked towards the stairs along the hallway that overlooked the polished lobby of the Hyperion, their conversation intermittently devolving into bursts of high-pitched laughter. It caught the attention of Buffy and Angel, who were standing by the large, circular front desk, having it out. "What's with the Giggle Twins?" Buffy asked.

"Honestly don't know," Angel replied. "But it's nice to see them happy. Those two deserve to laugh after everything that's been happening around here lately."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Please spare me, Angel. I'm sure Cordelia's really been suffering running around playing house with you and Angel junior."

"His name is Connor. And don't talk about Cordelia like that." Buffy's eyes widened in shock. So this is how it was going to be? The last time she came back, he chose Faith over her, and now he was busy defending Cordelia, of all people. Unbelievable.

Cordy and Fred were quietly making their way downstairs as Cordy briefed Fred on her theory about the blood, the Buffy situation, and the overwhelming need for them to stay out the range of fire of whatever was going down between Buffy and Angel. They snuck past the feuding duo, and ducked into the office, where Wes was finally stirring, lifting his head off of a stack of ancient books, legal pads with partial translations littered over the desk. Cordelia laid Connor in his basinet, and held a fresh bottle to his lips, then turned to address their appointed leader.

"Oh good, Wes, you're up. We're making progress on the whole Dark Angel situation. I'll fill you in while Fred gets the microscope and slides and stuff." The Englishman blinked slowly and reached for his glasses.

"Good Lord, I suppose I never made it home last night."

"Don't worry, Wes, you weren't the only one. Babysitting is tougher than it looks. Wesley nodded. "So what's your theory?" he asked. Twenty minutes later, Cordy had espoused her theory to Wes and Fred had finished examining Angel's blood supply.

"There's definitely human blood mixed in with the pig's blood, just trace amounts, and I can't say for sure that it's Connor's although it does match his blood type … but who would do this to Angel? Try to get him to eat his own child?"

Cordy sighed and raised a knowing eyebrow in response, but Wesley's face looked drawn and pensive.

"Wolfram and Hart, Fred," replied Cordelia in an even tone, but then announced brightly, "But this is great, that means that all we need to do is get rid of this stuff, get Angel some fresh, untainted O pos, and he'll be all back to normal again!"

Wesley's voice pierced Cordy's happy resolve. "I'm afraid that may not be enough Cordelia."

"What, why?"

The former Watcher stared down at his books, reluctant to speak.

"Come on, Wes, you can tell us, what is it?" Fred coaxed gently.

"Well, the thing of it is, I am working on a translation of the authoritative commentary of Nyazian prophecies, there is a particularly confusing passage … the upshot of it is, I think that while someone at Wolfram and Hart may be acting to hasten the fulfillment of one the prophecies about the Vampire with a soul and his offspring, that may not be the true source of the danger. If my current translation is, in fact, correct … the threat may be much more difficult to elude."

"Geez Wes, cryptic much?" replied Cordelia, with an expression of frustration. "Just say it in English already. We've all been through way too much together to start keep things from each other."

"It's not my intention to conceal anything from the others, Cordelia. But I need to be certain before I reveal any alarming information. I … I need more time."

Cordy regarded him thoughtfully. "Okay, sure Wes. I get it. You don't want to have a repeat of the whole Shanshu debacle." Wes nodded solemnly. "But we've got to tell Angel about the blood right away." After lifting the baby from the bassinette, Cordy and Fred burst eagerly out of the office door. Buffy and Angel facing each other in a standoff, their arms crossed, their eyes shooting daggers at one another.

"Ahem," Cordy said loudly, announcing their presence. Angel turned toward them, welcoming the distraction. Buffy, on the other hand, seemed annoyed by the interruption. "Angel, good news," Cordy beamed. "You are not turning evil! Well, not as long as we get rid of this blood."

"What is it, someone put a spell on my blood?"

"Not exactly. Less magical, more diabolical. It's just that Lorne and I were talking it out last night when it hit me that you've been drinking like it's going out of style, and you're wacky temper tantrum was only directed at Connor, so I thought what if-"

"What if someone had spiked your pig's blood with human blood, specifically, Connor's blood?" Fred just couldn't resist spilling the punch line. Cordy rolled her eyes and smiled before continuing.

"So then Fred here did her science mojo and found that your pig's blood has definitely been contaminated with human blood that matches Connor's blood type."

"Although we don't have the right equipment here in the office for me to be absolutely certain its Connor's," Fred acknowledged.

"No, you're both right. I really didn't want to admit it, but Connor's been smelling like food to me for the past couple days. Good work, guys. Can you just get rid of whatever's left and I'll go get some fresh stuff just as soon as I pay a friendly visit to our local neighborhood law firm." Angel was heading straight for his weapons cabinet.

"Angel, wait." Cordy asked.

"Cordy, you know I have to do this."

"Yeah, absolutely, go threaten Lilah and Gavin, that's not why I asked you to wait." She walked across the room and stood next to Angel, addressing him directly in a hushed, solemn tone.

"Listen Angel, Wes is up to his eyeballs in doom and gloom in there with that translation. He seems to think that there is more to this than another Wolfram and Hart mind game, but won't quite spit out what exactly he thinks is going to happen. He told me he needs more time before alarming us, and that's fine. But Angel, he's really worried. He thinks something awful is coming, I can tell."

"Cordy, whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Together, like we always do." He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, then softly brushed his thumb over her knuckles. Cordy was holding his gaze, her eyes filled with concern for her friend. "And you know I would never hurt my son."

"I know. Still, maybe I should stay here for a couple more nights, just to be on the safe side?" Angel took a long look at his beautiful baby boy happily cooing in the arms of the woman he— of his dearest friend.

"Yeah, okay. I think that's probably a really good idea. And Cordy, Fred, thank you for everything." The two tall brunettes smiled at him in unison.

"Okay. I'll have Groo bring by some of my things from the apartment in a bit, but in the meantime, Angel, I _really_ need a favor."

"Name it."

"Can I please use your shower? I'm gross."

"Of course, Cor, you don't even need to ask. You've still got clothes in my closet, and you know where to find all my, uh, products."

"Of course I do, ya big pretty boy," she teased, then threw her free arm around his neck, smiling up at him and giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You're the best!"

At that moment, Connor began nuzzling hopefully at Cordy's breast. "Sorry little buddy," she told him. "Those are strictly for decoration, but I know where to get you what you want." She ducked into the office to retrieve his bottle.

"Well, you can hardly blame the kid for trying," Angel joked once Cordy had returned to the group.

Cordy blushed beet red but she couldn't help but smile. "Angel! Since when do we flirt?"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know." Buffy muttered. This whole Angel/ Cordelia friendship, or whatever it was exactly, was turning out to be harder to stomach than his tryst with Darla. _She_ was supposed to be Angel's soulmate, his lifelong partner in fighting the good fight, not ditzy, self-centered Cordelia. Though even Buffy had to concede that she had matured somewhat. But still, this was not remotely how things were supposed to be. Suddenly Buffy raised her head and met Angel's eyes. "I'm coming with you."

An incredulous "what?" was the response that came in unison from Angel, Cordy, Fred, and even Wes, who had apparently been listening from inside the office. Everyone was speaking at once, offering up a smorgasboard of reasons for why Buffy's suggestion was a bad idea.

"Uh, Buff, Angel generally does the lawyer-threatening as a solo job, he's got this whole routine worked out-" was Cordelia's contribution.

"Well, I am not certain that would be the wisest course of action," could be heard in a British accent, as Wes popped her head out from behind the office door. Even the new girl was rattling on about something that sounded like Voltron, or maybe it was Tro-Clon, but the tone was definitely discouraging.

Buffy stared in disbelief. What had gotten into everyone? It wasn't long ago that this same crew was backing her up in Sunnydale, now suddenly she was being treated like a pariah, and worse than that, like someone who couldn't help. That was just insulting. As if Cordy and that Twiggy chick were anywhere near in her league when it came to kicking demon ass.

"Stop," she said firmly. That caused everyone to shut up pretty immediately. "I don't know what is up with you guys, but we all used to work _together_ to fight the Big Scary, remember? Well, all of us except you." Buffy shifted her focus onto Fred. "Who are you?" The tall, slender girl with the luminous brown eyes eagerly ran over to shake Buffy's hand.

"Oh, I'm Fred, er, Winifred. Winifred Burkle, but I go by Fred. I'm so sorry; it was rude of me not to introduce myself earlier, wasn't it? It's just that I was afraid to get in the middle of your reunion with Angel, because we all know you're the love of his life, and I'm sure you still love _him_, I mean how could you not? He's _Angel_. I mean, sure until a couple weeks ago, I thought that he and Cordy were meant to be, what with them both being Champions and everything, and so noble, sacrificing everything to fight for The Powers, but now that she's with Groo, well, why wouldn't you be with Angel?"

"Um, wow, that was some world-class verbal diarrhea," Buffy blinked, feeling like she'd been hit by some type of fast-moving motor vehicle. Who the hell was Groo and since when did the words 'Cordelia' and 'noble' belong in the same sentence? "It's nice to meet you, Fred." She managed a small, close-lipped smile for the earnest newcomer.

Angel took a long look at Buffy and sensed something of her bewilderment and feeling of betrayal. "Okay, Buffy, let's go, I'll fill you in on the way.

As soon as Buffy was alone with Angel, tromping through the sewer tunnels yet again, she resumed lecturing him about being irresponsible, but her thoughts had moved away from Darla and the baby.

"Angel, you really need to be more careful."

"Trust me, Buffy I can handle a couple of lawyers. I really don't need a chaperone."

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about this thing between you and Cordelia."

"Buffy, there has never been a _thing _between with me and Cordelia. Well, except for that one time at the ballet with the kissing and the stripping, but we were possessed, it wasn't really … nevermind. There's nothing going on. Cordy and I … Cordy doesn't feel that way about me. And even if she did, we could never … I would never do _that _with her."

"Oh really, so it was some other broody vampire who got Darla pregnant?"

"_Darla_ was a totally different story. She didn't have a soul when we … well, you know. I didn't love her; I couldn't have lost my soul."

"But you love Cordelia?" Buffy's tone had gone from accusatory and sarcastic to small and vulnerable.

Angel sighed. "Buffy," he started.

"No Angel, don't. Don't lie to me. Don't stand there and try to twist the truth into something that you think will hurt less" she said in a low voice, tears threatening to break through. She folded her arms across her chest and turned her back to the tall vampire. After a long moment, she began speaking again despite herself. "But how could you? How could you love _her_ the way you loved me?"

"I don't," Angel responded, his voice catching.

"Oh?" A slice of hope had crept into Buffy's voice.

"The way I feel about Cordelia, it's different from what you and I had."

"Oh," she said flatly.

"Buffy, please. I don't want to hurt you. I've never wanted that. And what we had was … you were the first woman I ever really loved in my unnaturally long life. Nothing will ever change that."

"But?"

"But it doesn't work with you and me; we both know that."

"And how exactly is it that it works with you and Cordy?"

"She's my best friend. And she's gotten past the idea of having a normal life."

Angel spoke the words with an even-toned simplicity, and Buffy swallowed hard at hearing them. Because of all the things she and Angel had been to one another, friends hadn't been one of them, not really. Still, she couldn't quite accept what she was hearing.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that whole normal life thing, Angel. Believe me, if Cordelia suddenly got her big acting break or met some rich hottie who wanted to marry her, she would drop you and your precious mission in an instant."

"No she wouldn't."

"You seem pretty confident about that."

"I am."

Buffy scoffed. Angel furrowed his brow, but continued. "I'm sure because she was given all that and she gave it back … to stay with me, to keep her visions, to keep being my connection to the Powers. Even though she was dying. Even though the only way she could keep the visions without them killing her was to become part demon. That's the choice she made just so that she could keep helping me. So don't walk in here and try to act like you know her."

Buffy felt as though her insides were slowly congealing and sinking down to her feet. "What are you talking about?" she asked in a low whisper. Angel briefly explained what had happened to Cordelia on her 21st birthday and how she came to make the decision that she did. Buffy was astonished. She could barely believe that Angel was talking about the same silly, self-absorbed cheerleader whom she had gone to high school with. And what was even more painful was that seemingly without hesitation, Cordy had made the choice that Buffy never could—to give up the potential of being a normal girl with a future that included sex, and a family, and maybe even a life without demons and vampires, in order to stay at Angel's side.

"God, Angel, I had no idea," Buffy was silent for several long seconds. "But that doesn't change anything. It actually makes it even more dangerous, because if you two … slip up, you really will lose your soul." She couldn't quite force herself to make eye contact when saying those words, but she felt Angel's penetrating gaze, nonetheless.

"We won't. And it's not like that between us. Cordelia and I are … Cordelia has a boyfriend. She doesn't feel that way about me."

"Well, maybe someone should tell _her_ that." Angel looked puzzled but Buffy didn't bother to explain her meaning to him. She had seen the way they looked at each other and she knew that if Cordy had given up everything she had ever wanted for Angel, her feelings went a lot deeper than friendship.

The pair walked in silence for several paces. Finally it was Angel who spoke. "So are you finished lecturing me now?"

"Yeah."

"Good. So maybe now you can explain to me why it is that I can smell Spike all over you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Cordy stepped out of the shower and walked over to Angel's closet, wrapped in a white towel, droplets of water flying off the ends of her short brown hair as she brushed it. She hoped she wasn't getting too much water on the wood furniture; Angel was such a stickler about that stuff. Biting her lower lip, she examined the selection of her clothes that were hanging in Angel's closet. It was a strange assortment of spandex workout clothes and big snuggly sweatshirts mixed in with some throwbacks from her wardrobe in the first year or so of working for Angel—backless halter tops and funky skirts. _God, Cor, don't you own anything normal?_ At last, she noticed a cute, form-fitting just-below-the-knee chocolate-brown skirt with a front slit over the right leg. She pulled on the skirt, pairing it with a soft, clingy, pink cowl-neck tank top. Cordy blow-dried her hair, slipped her feet into a pair of pink high-heel sandals, and headed back down to the lobby to see what was going on with the rest of the gang.

Wes had apparently gone to his apartment to change and get some books he needed, but Fred was sitting behind the desk, big brown glasses slipping down her nose, swinging her long legs absently as she scribbled down equations at a furious pace. Lorne was entertaining the baby, while Gunn paced back and forth in front of the weapons cabinet looking like he was itching for something to run the blade of an ax through.

Right on cue, he called out to Cordy as her heels clip-clopped down towards them. "Any visions brewing?" he asked, a bit too hopefully.

"No Gunn! Relax, there's nothing we can do right now, why don't you and Fred go get pancakes? I'll page you when Angel gets back."

"Can't. I'm in the middle of a very complicated calculation," said Fred, not looking up.

"Wow, she's focused." Cordy observed. Gunn just nodded. Cordy was heading into the office to finish up some filing and maybe find an open case to distract Gunn with when she felt Lorne's hand on her shoulder. He was looking down at her with concern.

"So are you going to talk to him?"

"Lorne, in case you missed the memo, there is nothing to talk to him about. In fact, he's off torturing lawyers with his little blonde soulmate as we speak, so maybe the next time you decide to try to coerce me into getting all confessional with Angel, you should eavesdrop on him first to make sure he actually wants to hear it."

"Princess, I have, and he does."

"What?" Cordy gasped.

"But that's not actually what I meant."

"It's not?" Cordy's face flushed with embarrassment. "Then what …"

"Groo."

"Groo?"

"Yeah, he hasn't seen or heard from you in over 24 hours. Don't you think you should give him some information about your whereabouts? It's not right to string the poor fellow along like that."

"Really subtle, Lorne," Cordy replied, with one eyebrow raised. She walked into the office, sighed and shut the door. Guilty thoughts swept through her mind as her hand slid automatically to the phone, poised to lift the receiver and call her apartment. She had really meant to call him earlier, but the whole hub-bub with the blood, and Buffy, and now Wes being so cryptic and scary, she was ashamed to admit it, but she had pretty much forgotten about Groo. She felt awful for ignoring her noble warrior, he deserved better. Groo was so earnest, loyal, and affectionate … just like a puppy. Okay, that sounded bad, but Cordy was never one to mince her metaphors and there was no denying that the Groosalugg's affections toward her were very much like those of a giant, well-muscled 6 month-old Labrador retriever. Whereas Angel was more like a sexy, mesmerizing, moody jungle cat … _Okay_, Cordy thought, _enough with the animal imagery already_. She called Groo and explained that she was needed at the hotel for a few more days, and he was very willing to bring her the clothes and toiletries she asked for on the condition that he could come and help, too. Cordy quickly agreed although she couldn't suppress the thought that they had more than enough help already.

Just as Cordelia stepped out of the office, the door leading up from the basement opened, and Buffy and Angel emerged from their Wolfram and Hart "fact-finding" mission. As all three stepped into the main lobby where Fred and Gunn had remained, Angel and Cordy began to speak simultaneously.

"So did you find Lilah? What did that bitch have to say for herself?"

"Cordy, you got dressed."

"Duh. What did you think, I was gonna take a shower and then put back on the same stinky clothes I'd been wearing for the past 24 hours?"

"Um, no, of course not. But I mean you really got … dressed. Dressed up. You look nice."

"Thanks." Cordy blushed and looked down, giving Angel a warm smile that was uncharacteristically shy. Once she looked up, she and Angel held each other's gaze until the moment was broken by a scoff from Buffy.

"Can we talk about the dirt we got from Evil Lawyer Chick or do you two plan on flirting all day?"

Angel 's brow furrowed, Cordelia glared at her, and even that girl Fred shot her a protective look that had an edge to it.

The Slayer was starting to feel like this trip had been a big mistake. She hadn't banked on feeling so irrelevant to Angel's life. She had stormed in full of righteous indignation that he had fathered a child with another woman, a vampire whom she had thought they dusted long ago, and had expected him to be penitent. But instead he was unapologetic about Darla, practically salivating over Cordelia, and to top it off, had called her on her pseudo-relationship with Spike. She had wanted to escape from everything that had been going on in Sunnydale, from herself, this new directionless, depressed self that her friends had wrenched out of heaven, but clearly she had just landed in yet another version of hell.

"So spill already, what did you two get out of Lilah?" Buffy spun around at the sound of a deep male voice she didn't recognize. "I'm Gunn, by the way, Charles Gunn."

"Hi, I'm Buffy."

"Kinda figured that. So what's the deal?"

"Well, it turns out that Lilah had one of her flunkies sneak in to the pediatrician's office the last time we took Connor for his check-up and switch his blood with another sample, and then Wolfram and Hart snuck in here and spiked my supply of pig's blood with the tube of Connor's blood."

"I knew it!" Cordy exclaimed. "Well, okay, maybe I didn't know _all_ the details, but I had a feeling that this all went down at the doctor's."

"Brilliant deduction, Cordy, cause no one else would have ever made the connection that babies get their blood drawn at the doctor's ." Buffy's voice was dripping with a level of sarcasm that she usually reserved for vamps she was parrying with. And to round out the complete role reversal, Cordy didn't retaliate; she just crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned slightly.

Gunn looked puzzled, and tried to catch Fred's eye by way of explanation. Fred raised her eyebrows and tilted her head toward Angel. Gunn looked over at Angel appraisingly then shifted his gaze back and forth between Buffy and Cordelia. After a few seconds, he turned back to Fred and nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, anyway, what's the deal?" Gunn asked.

"The deal is there's a new player in town. A demon by the name of Sahjahn," Angel offered. "Apparently he's working with Holtz. I think he's how Holtz got to our time."

"Well, doesn't that just sound like a confluence of events to bring out the ruination-slash-purification of mankind?" Cordy quipped grimly.

"The timing would fit with my calculations," Fred ventured. "And I'm pretty sure from the symbology in the scrolls that the Tro-clon is more than just two events occurring simultaneously, which we already had with the vampire birth and Holtz arriving, which are both pretty impossible, right? Maybe Cordy's right and Sahjahn is the last piece of the puzzle."

"Especially if he's connected to Holtz," said Gunn.

"Oh, he's connected alright. According to Lilah, Sahjahn brought Holtz here to kill me and Darla, but apparently he was taking too long over it, so he turned to the good folks at Wolfram and Hart instead," Angel explained.

"Um, Angel, one problem with that explanation," Fred started.

"What's that?"

"It doesn't make any sense. Wolfram and Hart spiking your blood wouldn't kill you, if anything it would kill Connor. If they were working for this Sahjahn guy it just doesn't seem like they're doing a very good job of it."

Angel sighed. "You know Wolfram and Hart, they always have their own agenda, and this fits. The senior partners have never wanted me dead, just dark."

Cordy had been listening attentively and now looked pensive. "Can we back up a minute? Just who the hell is this Sahjahn and what is his deal? Why does he want you dead? And how did he bring Holtz here exactly? What is he, some sort of zombie maker or time traveler, or what?"

"I know, there's a lot we don't know. But Holtz isn't a zombie. I think it's a time travel thing. We need to do some serious research. I got the impression that Lilah didn't know much more than what she told us, which was not a lot. Where's Wes?" asked Angel.

"Home, getting with a shower and some clean clothes," Cordy explained.

Angel nodded. "Okay, Cordy, call Wes. Fill him in and tell him to get back here as soon as we can so he can check in his books for anything he can find on Sahjahn. Gunn and I will hit the streets, go to some of the demon bars, see what we can find out. You and Fred get on-line, check the databases. Where's Lorne?"

"Upstairs with Connor," Cordy replied.

"Okay, tell him what we know and check with him to see if he or any of his contacts knows anything about Sahjahn." Cordy nodded. "And call me as soon as you know anything. Buffy-"

"Is heading back to Sunnydale." Buffy completed Angel's sentence without missing a beat. "You guys seem to have everything under control, and I've got demons of my own to deal with." She sighed, thinking of Spike, and silently hoped that Angel hadn't honed his supersenses to include telepathy.

Cordy went to the phone to call Wes, Fred sat down in front of the Mac laptop to log in to the "Demons, demons, demons!" database and Gunn headed over to the weapons cabinet. Buffy started for the door, but Angel was right behind her. Cordy looked over to see the pair standing very close to one another, talking in hushed voices, but she couldn't make out anything of what they were saying to each other. _Probably not my business anyway,_ she reminded herself. At that moment, Buffy turned and waved goodbye to the gang. A chorus of "Bye, Buffy's" of varying levels of enthusiasm rang out in response, and she was gone. Angel was standing by the door, his expression frozen. Cordy walked over to him, her clear, hazel eyes brimming with concern.

"Angel, are you okay? Do you need to, I don't know, punch something?"

"Yes and yes, but Gunn and I will probably have to do use some violence to get our demon pals to talk so it's a win-win situation. Or at least it will be."

"Angel-"

"Cordy, I'm fine. Did you talk to Wes?"

"Yeah, he's on his way."

"Good, that's good. Gunn, you ready?"

"Are you kidding me, I've been itching for some action all day," Gunn replied.

Cordy raised one eyebrow and stifled a laugh, but Fred's face had already started to turn a rosy hue. Gunn just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Angel was of course oblivious to the whole non-verbal interchange. He pulled on his long leather jacket and the two men strode out of door purposefully. Cordy stared after them at the closed door, wondering what Buffy and Angel had talked about all day long. _God, why should I even care what they said,_ she thought. She was about to walk over to help Fred with the research when she heard the front door open again and saw a tall figure with broad shoulders encased in leather crossing the threshold.

"Angel?" Cordelia's voice brightened as she said his name.

"No, Princess, I am not Angel." Groo's voice sounded resigned but there was an edge of anger.

"Groo, honey, hi! It's so good to see you. And of course I know you're not Angel, it's just that he just left and I thought maybe came back because he forgot something, and well, you are wearing his clothes …" Cordelia's voice trailed off as she abandoned her attempt to make excuses for herself. "Come over here!"

Groo obliged his princess's request as always and was rewarded by a warm hug and a peck on the lips. Cordelia was smiling at him but it seemed to him that her eyes were elsewhere. He always felt a tug of resistance from her whenever they were together, as though she had locked him out of the depths of her being. Cordelia had initially insisted that it was just that she was afraid to lose her visions if they were to perform the royal Com-shuck, but that problem had already been circumvented and things still felt forced between them. His intense blue eyes were fixed on her as these thoughts passed through his mind.

"Groo? You're staring at me. Are you okay?"

"I don't know Princess, am I?"

Cordy laughed nervously. "What do mean, sweetie?"

"It seems that you are still holding back from surrendering your heart to the Groosalugg. I have changed my hair and my style of dress according to your liking, we have found a way to perform the Com-shuck without compromising your mission, and still I sense that you find me unworthy of your love."

Cordy's heart ached to hear those words spoken by her earnest lover, but she didn't really know how to respond to him. "Groo, let's talk about this in private. Fred, do you mind if we go into the office for a bit?"

"Of course not."

"Thanks, and I promise I'll help with the research soon." The couple walked into Wes's office, which used to be Angel's office, and closed the door. Cordy perched on the edge of the desk and patted the spot next to her to indicate for Groo to sit beside her.

"Groo, sweetie, I think you're amazing, I really do, I promise. You are so sweet and sincere, and a bona fide hero, not to mention gorgeous, and I do love you. It's just things are different here in LA. I can't just give up everything I am and be your princess."

"But I am not asking for you to forsake your friends or your mission. I simply want to know why it is that you hold yourself apart from me."

"I'm sorry Groo, I don't mean to be like that, I swear. I guess it just takes me a little while to trust people. If you knew some of the other guys I've dated, you'd understand." Cordy shook her head thinking of the first guy she fell for in LA who ended up impregnating her with demon spawn.

"But you trust Angel." Groo was unable to conceal the bitterness in his words.

Cordy sighed. "It's different with Angel. We've known each other for a really long time. And we're friends, it's not the same type of thing."

"Yes, of course, _friends_." It hadn't taken Groo very long to pick up the art of sarcasm. "So Princess, does that mean you have bound your heart to your Champion?"

"Bound my heart? Well I guess that's one way of putting it. I mean, we'll always be friends because of everything we've been through together and then we're kind of cosmically connected because of the visions. The powers send them to me specifically to guide him, so I guess it's fair to say our destinies are intertwined. I mean even when I tried to leave all that behind and have a normal life, I ended up right back with Angel, taking back my visions from him with a … never mind. And then becoming part-demon to be able to keep being a part of all this. I don't know Groo, Angel is just a part of who I am."

"Angel again. I meant me, Princess. I thought I was your Champion. I thought_ our_ destinies were linked, don't you remember the words of the prophecy from Pylea?" Groo's voice was low and serious.

Cordelia's expression was pained. "Groo … I know that Pylea is your world and you believed in that prophecy, but to me it was like a fairy tale. A beautiful, somewhat violent, barbaric fairy tale, but it wasn't real. I was never your princess, Groo," she said gently.

"Then what is this? What am I to you?"

Cordy shrugged up her shoulders and gave him a sad smile. "I don't know Groo. I'm not sure what this is, or what it might become. I really like you, and there is definitely a thing here, but if that's not enough for you, and I can understand if it isn't, then I don't know what else I can offer you right now. I guess I'm just not ready for a commitment."

"Princess, I don't think that is true."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you've already made your commitment, just not to me," Groo's voice was soft as he now had a deeper understanding of what it was that Cordelia was struggling with. "I think I'd better go."

"Go? Go where? Groo, it's not like that between me and Angel, I promise. I mean, even if I did feel that way about him, it's impossible for us …"

"Princess, I think I had best leave you with your thoughts. If you change your mind, you can reach me using this pocket-sized portable machine with the numbers that sings when someone wants to speak." Tears silently fell from Cordy's hazel eyes as she leaned against the doorway of the office and watched Groo disappear into what had become night. Wordlessly, she wiped them away, and went over to Fred.

"So sorry about taking so long, what can I do to help?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A few hours later Angel and Gunn returned with spotty information about Sahjahn. It seemed that he and Holtz had originally been recruiting Grappler demons to fight with him against Angel, but Holtz had recently poisoned them all and was now recruiting humans. But no one seemed to have a clue as to why Sahjahn had the big hate on for Angel. Meanwhile, all Fred and Cordy were able to ferret out of their internet searches was that Sahjahn's essence could be trapped in some type of special jar and that he had the ability to bend time. No one had made any progress in uncovering his connection to Angel or his motive for wanting him dead. It had been a long and trying day and everyone soon scattered, Wes to his apartment, Fred and Gunn to a taquieria, Lorne to a piano bar, and Angel upstairs to tend to Connor. Cordy remained in the lobby working by the light of a single overhead lamp, straightening up piles of paper and wiping down the counters. When she thought she was alone, she let the tears she had been holding back since Groo left fall freely. She didn't even hear Angel coming down the stairs with Connor in toe.

"Cordy what's wrong? Tell me the truth, are the visions still hurting you?"

"What? No. No visions. I'm sorry Angel, I'm fine." She hastily wiped her eyes and nose and attempted to smile at him.

"Cordelia, you're not fine." Angel took her by the hand and pulled her over to the couch where they sat next to each other. Wordlessly, she took the baby from his arms and pressed her lips softly to the infant's head. Angel was watching her carefully and still hadn't let go of her hand. "Now tell me what happened."

"It's Groo."

"Did he hurt you? Groosalugg or not, I will kick his ass."

"Angel, no please don't. He didn't do anything to me. Unless you count breaking up with me."

"What, why?"

"Because of us. Because of me. Because he thinks my heart isn't free."

"Is it?"

"Is it what?"

"Free."

"I don't know Angel. I guess maybe my life is too complicated for love. Maybe that's the real reason that I'm crying. I mean, Groo is a sweet, amazing guy but in my heart of hearts, I never really thought that he and I would end up together long term. But having that conversation with him, saying it all out loud, it just drives the point home with a giant hammer that I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life."

"Cordy, you're not alone."

"Thanks, Angel, but you know what I mean. Who's going to want to be with the part-demon girl who works for a vampire and gets mind movies from The Powers That Be about the supernatural scary on a regular basis? Before Groo came along I had pretty much accepted that my life is never going to be about the rich, hottie husband and the 2.5 kids and the house in Malibu with the lap pool, and I was okay with it, really. But then he shows up and gives me a taste of everything I can't have, and it hurts. "

"Believe me, I get it. More than you know."

"Well, yeah, I figured you would, especially after Buffy turned up for her little guest appearance this morning." Angel's eyes suddenly clouded over and became distant.

"I'm sorry Angel, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset about Buffy."

"Then what?"

Angel turned to his best friend and looked at her appraisingly before he spoke. "I'm just sorry that me being a part of your life has cost you so much."

"Don't be. That's not the problem. I had 'normal' before I came here and became a part of all of this, and even though at the time I may have thought that I had everything I wanted, I had no idea. This is my purpose in life Angel, to help you with your mission, to be your connection to the Powers. Nothing has ever been clearer to me. And before Groo, I just figured that the reason that I didn't have a life outside of work was because I couldn't. I mean, who could I possibly be with who would understand the world we live in? But Groo was like me, part demon, part human. He already knows all about monsters and visions and portals and it still didn't work. And it wasn't because of the demon in me or the visions, it was because of _me_. If I can't make it work with him, then who? I don't know what's wrong with me." She turned to face Angel, her wide eyes full of pain.

"Cordy, there's nothing wrong with you. Maybe Groo just wasn't the right guy for you, but that doesn't mean that you'll never find someone." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and cupped her chin gently in his palm. She smiled up at him appreciatively.

"Thanks Angel, but enough about me. What happened with you and Buffy?"

Angel shook his head. "Nothing. She's with Spike now."

"Spike? Spike who?"

"Spike, as in Spike and Drusilla. You know. Apparently he's one of the good guys now. Sort of."

"And when you say _with_?"

"Well, she was pretty fuzzy on the details, but I could smell him all over her."

"Oh, and eww. I really hope you don't use your super-sniffing powers on me like that."

"Why, what vampires have you been sleeping with?"

"Just you," Cordy teased. "But seriously Angel, are you okay? I know you miss her and that news could not have been easy to hear … or smell or whatever."

"Yeah, I'm okay, and I do miss her. But every time I see her, I feel like the distance between us just keeps getting wider. She has no idea who I am anymore, and apparently I have no idea who she is, because the Buffy I knew would never in a million years have Spike as her boy toy."

"It's natural to be jealous, Angel."

"I'm not jealous. Okay, maybe a little, but that's not what's bugging me about her showing up."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, Cor. It's hard to put into words. I guess it bothers me that it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would, her moving on like that. Every time I see her, I'm reminded how much we're not a part of each other's lives anymore."

"Angel, it's okay. It's good that you both have moved on, I mean you can't brood about Buffy for the rest of eternity. It doesn't make what you had any less real because your life is about other stuff now." At that, they both smiled down at Connor, and Angel nodded, feeling reassured about his priorities. He squeezed Cordy's hand.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now let's go to bed."

Cordy had taken Connor into the room next to Angel's where she occasionally slept on the nights that she worked so late that she didn't trust herself to drive home safely. She and Wes had carried up the bassinette earlier, so Connor could sleep in the room with her. Now she was sitting on the bed staring out into the darkness. Her eyes were fixed on Connor's sleeping form, but her thoughts were focused on Angel, or more specifically, what Groo said about Angel and her. Was it really true that she had no room for love because she was already in love with Angel? Or was it just that Groo didn't understand their friendship or the weird dynamics of their office. She wasn't the only one who was all about the mission, right? Or was she? Gunn and Fred had each other, Wes had been with Victoria for a long stretch of time and he was single now primarily because he wished he were in Gunn's shoes. Even Angel had a semi-relationship with his sire Darla last year. It was only Cordy who had been entirely single until Groo came along. Maybe that was a bit suspicious. But wait, despite Wes, Fred and Gunn's amazing commitment to their work, they were all normal humans with no supernatural attributes while Cordelia was the conduit to the Powers with her visions, and now a part-demon on top of all that. It was perfectly understandable that they should be involved in relationships while she could not be. What was suspicious, Cordelia was now realizing, is that she didn't care about that glaring omission. And not just because of her devotion to the mission. Cordy slipped under the covers, willing herself to abandon this line of reasoning and get some rest, but try as she might, she couldn't shut off her mind.

Cordy had never been one to ignore what was in front of her, or keep things to herself once she realized them. Looking at the facts objectively, they all really did point to one very obvious conclusion which, as Lorne pointed out, was pretty much written in giant Day-glo neon letters for everyone in a 1 mile radius to see. She _was_ in love with Angel. And not just platonic friendship, co-workery love, but the real deal full-throttle undying passionate love.

"Oh God!" Cordy blurted out loud without intending to. A second later, the silence was pierced again, this time by a loud shriek from the baby. Cordy rose from the warm nest of covers to stroke his head in an effort to lull him back to sleep, but Connor was having none of it. His wails persisted until Cordy lifted him into her arms. He was quiet but alert and playful. With a groan, Cordy plunked back down on her own bed and looked earnestly at the wide-eyed baby.

"What should I do Mr? Neither one of us can sleep with all this hub bub going on, am I right? Should we go bring the party to your Daddy's room? I betcha he's sitting fully dressed in the dark brooding over Buffy as we speak!" With that, Cordy rose from the bed with Connor and tiptoed over to Angel's door. There was no crack of light beneath the door, but that meant nothing where Angel was concerned, he definitely preferred to brood in the dark.

"Angel?" Cordy said in a low whisper as she edged his door open part way.

To her surprise, Angel was in fact asleep, and apparently shirtless. For the first time since high school, Cordelia fully allowed her gaze to linger appreciatively on his well-muscled arms and imagined how good they would feel wrapped snugly around her waist, pulling her warm body tight against his cool and taut one.

"Cor? What's wrong? Is it Connor?"

Cordelia shook her head slightly to bring herself out of her fantasy.

"Oh God, Angel I'm sorry, nothing's wrong, it's just that I couldn't sleep and little Connor just woke up with a vengeance with no signs of wanting to go back to Sugar Plum Fairyland anytime soon and given the day you had, I just figured you were up and maybe we night owls would hang out together for a bit, but you should really go back to sleep, and we'll just go back next door, I am such an idiot for waking you up -"

Before Cordelia could ease back through the door, Angel sat up, the bed sheet falling to his waist, and lit a couple tall white pillar candles by his bedside. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked to the figure in the door way. Cordy had been sleeping in a soft white tank top and gray knit gym shorts that were clinging to her curves in a way that was both clearly and effortlessly provocative. Just at that moment, Connor began pulling down on her front of her tank top with his tiny fist, so the swell of her breast was exposed in the soft glow of the candle light.

"Cordy, wait."

"Angel?" Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost breathy.

"He's probably hungry. Why don't you sit for a few minutes and I'll give him his bottle."

"Yeah, okay." Cordy sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the carpet, her fingers unconsciously twisting the gray knit fabric of her shorts. Her heart was pounding. She noticed Angel looking over at her quizzically and wondered if he could actually _hear_ the rapid thudding in her chest. He got up and crossed the room to heat up a bottle. He was wearing only short black boxers and Cordy let her eyes wander across his body again while his back was turned. This was really not helping the heart attack she was about to have. What was she thinking, coming in here in the middle of the night ready to make the big confession? Angel was going to think she'd gone insane. In fact, Cordy was pretty sure she had gone insane herself. Well, no one said she _had_ to say anything. It's not like this was the first time she and Angel had a little midnight chat in someone's bedroom. He probably thinks this is a totally mundane friend thing. Cordy allowed a heavy sigh to escape her lips.

Angel had returned with the bottle and slid Connor effortlessly from her arms. The split second of contact between his fingers and her bare arm set off tingles up and down her skin as though all of the attraction she had been repressing for months had suddenly bubbled to the surface. Her heart was beating even faster.

"Cordelia, what is going on?" Angel 's voice was quiet with an edge of concern.

Cordy shook her head. "Nothing, I mean, what do you mean? Why should there be something going on?"

"Because every time I come near you, I can hear your heart beat about 150 times a minute. Which makes me think you know something that you're not telling me. So what's going on?"

Cordy drew her knees up to her chest, causing one the straps on her tank top to slip down her shoulder. Angel tried hard not to notice, not to stare. Not to imagine that they were backstage at the ballet again before Groo showed up and ruined his chances of … of what exactly? Angel internally shook himself out of his fantasy. Groo or no Groo, Cordy just didn't see him that way, which was probably for the best. Look at how things turned out between him and Buffy. At least this way, they could be close, be in each other's lives.

"This is about the prophecy, isn't it? You talked to Wes, and now you know something you guys don't think I can handle, but it's killing you not to tell me. Come on Cordelia, this is us, we don't keep secrets."

Cordy stared her knees and nodded. "You're right," she said in a small voice.

"I knew it!"

"No, you're wrong about that." She looked up and held his gaze, tears threatening to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Huh?"

"I am keeping a secret, Angel, but it's not about the prophecy."

"Oh." Angel shifted on the bed, making space for Cordelia and patting the space next to him. She obliged and slid her legs under the covers. Angel did the same. Their feet were so close they were nearly touching and he could feel the heat of her body hovering close to his, pulsing in the air and pressing in on him as though it were a solid object. He wondered if Cordelia was feeling anything like what he was, but he doubted it, especially since it had been over 200 years since he had anything he could call a body temperature. He sighed inwardly, just one more reason why he needed to stop dwelling on something that could never happen.

"Cordy, what is it? You can tell me anything."

She nodded. "Well, I'm about to test that theory." She reached for his free hand, the one that wasn't holding Connor and held it lightly in her own. After a few seconds, she began stroking the back of his hand lightly with her finger tips as if to test the waters for how he might receive what she was about to say. "I've been doing a lot of thinking today Angel, and I realized something that in retrospect I probably should have realized a long time ago. Groo was right."

Angel frowned. Could she possibly mean what he thinks she means? "Right about what exactly?"

"Right about me, about us, about my feelings for you. Angel, I'm in love with you, and not in a friend way." There, she said it. Now, what in the world was Angel going to say back?

Her heart was showing no signs of slowing down as she looked earnestly at him, waiting for some kind of a response.

Angel stood up with a now-sleeping Connor and started to walk across the room.

Oh, Jesus Christ, he's walking out, she thought desperately. "Angel, please wait. I don't know what's wrong with me, I was crazy to have said that out loud, I can get over it, I promise, just don't go."

Angel walked back to the bed after having put Connor down in his crib in the adjoining suite and looked down at his beautiful, vulnerable best friend, his Seer, his everything. He sat back down next to her and ran his finger lightly over her cheek, grazing her jaw and lifted her chin so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Cordy had gone silent, in fact everything around them seemed to be still and waiting.

"You really love me?" he asked

Cordelia nodded without breaking their gaze. "Angel, please, say something."

"Cor, I …" he drifted off.

Oh God, here it comes, the let down speech, she thought to herself. But Angel wasn't saying anything. His hand still on her cheek, he pulled her in toward him, close, so close that their eyelashes were practically touching, and kissed her. Gently at first, tentatively as though he was afraid to hurt her, but as she responded, her soft, warm lips melting beneath his, moaning at his touch, the kiss became deeper, more passionate. Cordelia felt herself sinking into him as if the rest of the world had melted away and it was just the two of them tasting each other hungrily, knowing with complete certainty that this is what they had both been wanting for so long now. Cordy felt a stirring, pulsing heat developing between her legs and drew closer to Angel, her hard nipples pressing against his bare chest through the flimsy fabric of her tank top. He moved his other hand from her hip where it had been resting and worked his way up from under her shirt until he was caressing those perfect round breasts, rolling her nipple softly between his index finger and thumb until she started to moan softly, her hot breath tickling his earlobe. They finally broke apart, his hand still resting lightly on her breast.

"I love you, too," he said simply. Her smile could have lit up a city at hearing those words spoke out loud, at last, as though she had unknowingly been longing to hear them all her life. But after a moment, she grew quiet and thoughtful.

"But Angel, how? You and me? The curse … your soul? I mean, what in the world are we going to do now?"

"I honestly don't know, but I do know we'll figure it out. Together. Like we always do."

FIN


End file.
